DeNunzio fashion show: Sleek, tight swimsuits rule the pool

What's small, durable, and contains some of the best assets Princeton University has to offer? You guessed it — the Speedos of the men's swimming and water polo teams. Though the Tigers have traditionally dominated in these two water sports over the years, there's more to their success than tight abs and strategic tan-lines. When the right suit can shave tenths of a second off your time or prevent a debilitating underwater foul, choosing the right piece of equipment is crucial to the game.

When it comes to swimming, the suit most commonly worn in competition is the high-tech Speedo Fast Skin. The material, which is designed to imitate the water-repellent nature of sharkskin, is generally made of nylon and lycra spandex and aids in flotation and body position. The material also cuts tenths and hundredths of seconds over short sprint distances.

The Fast Skin, whose competitors include TYR and Nike, comes in five different styles — speedo, jammers, full legs, overalls and full body. Which suit an individual chooses to sport depends entirely on personal preference. Most breaststrokers prefer to wear either the speedo or the jammer because they allow for utmost flexibility in the groin. Few swimmers opt for the full-body because it can restrain breathing if they are too tight.

"I personally prefer the jammer because it supports my upper legs and reduces the amount of shaving I need to do," sophomore swimmer Kyle Voorheis said. "Of course, it's still necessary to at least buzz the hair under the suits, otherwise it'll stick through."

In practice the approach is completely different — namely in the application of drag suits, which create resistance and are used in training and warm-up. The con to all of these swimming suits, however, is that they only last for five or six sessions before deteriorating and cost over $100 each.

The swimmers' suits are markedly different from the durable, polyester speedos of the water polo squad, which, aside from proudly displaying bronzed torsos and upper butt-cracks, are meant to withstand constant tugging and grabbing from opponents.

"Durable, tight and small — that's what a good polo suit needs to be so that you're giving your opponent as little to grab as possible," sophomore driver Victor Wakefield said. "And when they do get a hold of your suit, you don't want it ripping. If this leads to a little crack showing, so be it."

While American water polo players go for the small suits, European players usually wear their suits higher up on their waists.

"It's the 'Euro Cut' — it's kind of what you would expect to see on your 60-year-old uncle at the beach," sophomore driver Kyle Morgan said.

Attractive mental pictures aside, the high-top suits are rare in the United States, as are rubber suits, which are the alternative to speedos. Rubber suits, which resemble diapers, are meant to cut down on grabbing and fouling.

"They're actually not that effective, and they're not that comfortable either. Remember, this is an important region we're dealing with," Morgan said. "And mainly they're just not cool looking."

And in a sport where how you wear your suit is almost as important as how well you play the game, this would be a deciding factor.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"There is an unspoken rule in the water polo community," Wakefield said. "The more crack you show, the better team you are."

It is often said that the best things come in small packages. This certainly seems true for the men's swimming and water polo programs, who look to garner a lot of success for Princeton this year, no doubt thanks to their shaved legs and exposed behinds.